Sheet delivery mechanism



Nov. 15, 1955 Filed Sept. 1, 1951 C. A. SANDERS SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR C/arence H. Sanders Nov. 15, 1955 c. A. SANDERS 2,723,852

SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM File p 1, 1951 4 She'e't's Sheet 2 INVENTOR C I arence A. Sanders Nov. 15, 1955 c. A. SANDERS SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM Filed Sept. 1 1951 4 SheetSSheet 3 Ill n8 INVEN TOR C/are/zce A Sande/"5 Nov. 15, 1955 q. A. SANDERS 2,723,852

SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM Filed Sept. 1, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR C/arence A. Sanders wsdw United States Patent" SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM Clarence A. Sanders, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Miehle Printing Press & Manufacturing Company, Chicago, ]]l., a corporation of Delaware Application September 1, 1951, Serial No. 244,847

2 Claims. (Cl. 271-86) The present invention relates to improvements in sheet delivery mechanism for die cutting presses or the like machines.

More specifically, the invention pertains to a novel sheet catcher mechanism for use primarily in conjunction with the sheet delivery mechanism of carton cutting and stripping machines of the class disclosed in U. S. Patent 2,677,994, issued to David W. Schneider.

The primary object of this invention is to provide mechanism associated with a conventional sheet delivery device whereby the delivered sheets may be removed from the pile support each time a predetermined number have accumulated thereon without altecting the continuous operation of the press. 1

A further object is to provide a short count sheet catcher mechanism which will be economical to manufacture, efficient in operation, and which can be readily adapted to any conventional pile delivery mechanism.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing the invention as associated with an automatic cutting and stripping machine of the class referred to above;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the sheet delivering end of the machine, illustrating the sheet catching device associated therewith;

Figure 3 represents in end elevation that part of the machine featured in Figure 2, but at a somewhat enlarged scale;

Figure 4 is a fragmental detail view in side elevation of the sheet catching device in sheet receiving position,

and

Figure 5 shows the parts illustrated in Figure 4, but in released position from which a stack of stripped carton blanks can be removed by the operator, and indicating in broken lines the position of certain ones of the sheet catcher parts when they are in their inoperative position so that blanks may be deposited onto the conventional delivery pile support or table. 6

Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawings, the machine which I have illustrated, and in connection with which my invention is applied, is of a conventional design and the arrangement of the various cooperating mechanisms is similar to the automatic stripping machine disclosed in the above mentioned patent.

In such machines, the blank sheets of paper board or carton material are fed either by hand or by automatic means, not shown, to a sheet carrying impression cylinder 10, which cooperates in the conventional manner with a reciprocating die to thereby die-cut the sheets into a plurality of carton blanks. The impression cylinder 10, is driven by means of a gear 11, which is secured to the cylinder journal and is arranged to mesh with the main drive gear 12, whereby the cutting and creasing and stripping assemblies are driven.

r 2,723,852 Patented Nov. 15, 1955 After the cutting and creasing operation is completed, the sheets are transferred to the waste picking unit 13 by means similar to those disclosed in the above mentioned patent, whereby the waste material is removed from between the carton blanks before they are conveyed to and deposited on a delivery pile table.

As shown in Figure 1, the waste picking unit 13 is driven from the main gear 12 through a train of gears 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23.

After the sheets pass through the waste picking unit they are transferred to the delivery conveyor which conveys them to a pile receiving table.

As illustrated, the chain delivery is driven by the gear 71, which meshes with the waste picking unit drive gear 23 and is rotatably mounted on the shaft 72. A hub 73 which is fixed to the shaft 72 is formed with a boss 74 which projects into an opening 76 provided in the gear 71. A pair of adjusting screws 77 and 78 are adjustably mounted in the boss 74 and are positioned so that their heads engage the sides of the opening 76 in gear 71. By adjusting screws 77 and 78 the grippers can be advanced or retarded with respect to the drive gear 71 in order to synchronize their motion with the leading edge of each oncoming sheet. The chain conveyor then carries the sheets to the delivery pile 81.

As shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 the novel feature of this invention resides in the combination sheet catcher which can be used either as a means for catching sheets while a loaded skid is being removed and an empty one placed in position, or it may serve as a short count sheet catcher which is the method usually used in production shops.

As shown in Figure 2 the sheet catcher is set up for catching sheets during the changing of the skids when the conventional constant level pile delivery means are used.

When used in this manner the sheet catcher 82 is supported on rollers 83, 84 and 85, Figure 2, which rollers ride in U shaped channels 86 which are supported by hangers 87 fixed at each side of the press on the delivery frame 88. A stop block 89 is secured in the channels to limit the movement of the catcher when inserted into the position shown in full lines in this figure and a screw 91 is provided on the sheet catcher frame to engage the stops 92 when the sheet catcher is pulled out. After a loaded skid 93 is removed and an empty skid placed in position, the sheet catcher is pulled forwardly and the sheet stops 94 push the sheets that have accumulated on the sheet catcher off onto the skid. The sheet catcher is then suspended between the delivery frame posts as indicated in broken lines in Figure 2.

- In most instances, however, the device is used as a short count sheet catcher, in which case the sheets are not deposited in piles such as are indicated in Figure 2, but are removed from the press in small lots to be separated and packed by the operators while another lot is accumulating on the sheet catcher.

Under such conditions the sheet catcher is operated as shown in Figures 1, 3, 4, and 5.

In Figure 4, it will be seen that the sheet catcher platform is provided with forwardly projecting ends 96 to each of which is fixed a stud 97. A pair of latch members 98 are mounted securely on the rotatable transverse bar 99 in such positions that they engage the studs 97 to thereby maintain the platform in a horizontal position. It will be understood that when the device is used in this manner the rollers 84 and on each side of the sheet catcher platform, see Figure 2, are removed so that the platform can be pivoted about the axis of the rollers 83, and an auxiliary stop 101 is installed in each channel member 86 to prevent horizontal movement of the platform 82 in said channels.

Also pivotally attached to the ends 96 of the platform are the eye members 102, through which are slidably inserted the rods 103, the depending ends of which are pivoted at 104 to floor brackets 106, Figure 3. Compression springs 107 are mounted on the rods 103 between the floor brackets and the eye members and have su'liicient tension to maintain the empty platform in its horizontal position.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a lever 109 is fixed to the end of shaft 99 and at its free end is provided with a pivoted eye member 111 through which is slidably inserted the rod 112. Collars 113 and 114 are rigidly secured to said rod above and below said eye member respectively whereby movement of said rod will be imparted to lever 109 and collar 114 is secured in position with a set screw 116 so that it can be released for the purpose of rendering the mechanism inoperative as will be explained hereinafter.

The lower end of rod 112 is connected to the foot lever 117, Figures 1 and 3, which is pivotally mounted on the base of one of the delivery supporting uprights 118.

When a predetermined number of sheets are deposited on the platform, the operator depresses lever 117, which action rocks the shaft 99, thereby moving the latch 98 to its released position as shown in Figure 5.

The weight of the sheets is suflicient to compress the springs 10'] and the front end of the platform drops into the position as shown in Figure 5, so that the operator can remove the stack of sheets and place it onto a work table, not shown. When the sheets slide off, the springs 107 force the platform back into the sheet receiving position shown in Figure 4. This operation is accomplished very expediently.

The latch members 98 are restrained from returning to their locking position while the platform is in its lowered position by means of a catch 119, Figures 4 and 5. The catch is pivotally mounted on one of the latches in a manner that it drops down and engages the stop 92 on the channel 86 when the platform is dropped to hold the latch 93 in its released position until the platform returns. A knob 120 is provided on the end 96 of the platform to engage the catch 119 as the platform raises to release it from the stop 92 and allow the latch to return and engage the stud 97.

Stop members 121, Figure 3, prevent the platform from overrunning the latch 98 as the platform springs back to its its sheet receiving position.

The latches 98 are constantly biased toward their locking position under the resilient pressure of a coil spring 122, see Figure 5, which is mounted on the shaft 123 which shaft in turn is pivotally connected to lever 124, pinned to the shaft 99. The free end of the shaft 123 is slidably inserted through the pivoted boss 126 which is attached to the delivery frame. Spring 122 exerts pressure between the boss 126 and the head of shaft 123 and returns the latches 98 to their locked position as soon as catch 119 is raised, see Figure 4.

As shown in broken lines in Figure 5, the latch 98, catch 119, and the spring and rod assembly 122 and 123 can be moved to an inoperative position when the device is used as an ordinary reload sheet catcher.

When changing from a short count sheet catcher to the reload sheet catcher for conventional or pile delivery of the die-cut blanks, a minimum of manipulations are required.

The first step is to remove the spring and rod assemblies 103, 107, Figure 3, after which the stop 101, see Figure 4, is removed and the rolls 84 and 85, shown in Figure 2, are installed so that the platform will be supported in its horizontal position. Set screw 116, Figure 3, provided in collar 114, is then loosened and the collar dropped so that the latches 98 and the associated catch, and spring and rod assembly, can be rotated to their inoperative position as shown in broken lines in Figure 5. In this position the spring and rod are moved past the center line thereby forming a toggle lever linkage so as to maintain the latch in its inoperative position.

While I have herein set forth a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to any specific details such as l have disclosed, because modifications in the construction and arrangement of parts involved may be made without departing from the scope of my invention and which I aim to cover in the claims appended hereto.

1 claim:

1. A sheet delivery mechanism including conveyor means having grippers for receiving sheets from a die cutting press or the like sheet processing machine and conveying them to a sheet receiving platform, comprising in combination, a frame member, a sheet receiving platform adapted to receive sheets in regular sequence from said conveyor means, said platform being pivotally mounted on said frame member for movement between sheet receiving and sheet removing positions, a series of stop members mounted adjacent the front end of said platform for limiting the forward travel of the sheets as theyare released by said conveyor means, a transverse bar rotatably supported in the frame member, latch means rigidly secured to said bar and having a latching position and a release position with respect to said platform, resilient spring means constantly biasing said latch means to their latching position wherein they maintain the platform in its sheet receiving position, manually operable means for rocking said bar and thereby said latch means to their release position against the pressure of said resilient spring means to permit movement of said platform to its sheet removing position wherein the front edge of said platform is spaced from said stop members to facilitate removal of the sheets, a catch mounted on said latch means for coaction with a stop on said frame to maintain the latch means in their release position while the platform is in its sheet removing position, and resilient spring means adapted to exert pressure against the free end of the platform for returning said platform to its sheet receiving position upon removal of the sheets therefrom.

2. A sheet delivery mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein means are provided on said platform for disengaging said catch as said platform returns to its sheet receiving position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 932,201 Weber Aug. 24, 1909 1,613,132 Rosener Jan. 4, 1927 1,772,785 Smith Aug. 12, 1930 1,970,235 Jacobson Aug. 14, 1934 1,977,812 Swift Oct. 23, 1934 1,983,708 Ruble et a1 Dec. 11, 1934 2,078,128 Doran Apr. 20, 1937 2,362,205 Huck Nov. 7, 1944 2,489,469 Stueland Nov. 29, 1949 2,627,989 Chaves Feb. 10, 1953 

